This is a particularly exciting post as it’s the blog’s first on a house in the northern beaches. I was lured into the region for a visit due to the promise of prettier, more private beaches than their eastern suburbs counterparts, and the image I had of weathered beach shacks lining the shores. I knew this image was slightly idealistic – beachfront mansions now appear to be more common than their holiday house ancestors. I was lucky, though, in that I happened to find the perfect place to write about – a heritage-listed beachfront beauty in Freshwater now known serving up Italian cuisine as Pilu.

I ended up in Freshwater with no clear direction – I drove east from Mosman in search of the beach, and followed signs ad hoc before spontaneously deciding on the suburb just north of Manly. I could just have easily ended up in Dee Why or Newport, and was even considering the trek out to Whale Beach. It was a good choice – its cute village leads to a beautiful, if small, beachfront, and it is covered with attractive, historic buildings. The significant number of charming buildings is evidence of the suburb’s long history – it began development in the late nineteenth century. Nevertheless, many of the suburb’s prime landholdings are occupied by contemporary masterpieces with glass frontages perfect for scoping the view. I was looking for something different, though – an old-school beach house.

While this building is now set up as a fine dining spot, it was once a house, and it stands on one of Freshwater’s best spots, mere steps from the sand. The house’s weatherboard construction complements its location, and the pale blue and bone white shades, wooden floor boards, high, beamed ceilings and curved, soaring windows combine to make it an ideal getaway destination. Standing within the building, walking through its charming gardens and tracing the aged pathways surrounding it conjure images of long summers spent on the beach. It’s the best type of beach house, where perfection gives way to perpetually sandy floors, fans trying to beat the Sydney heat, and coastal breezes offering sweet respite.

Kirribilli is my favourite suburb, and a look at the view from this week’s house shows why – while many covet the views from the eastern peninsulas, the lower north shore really offers the best vistas.

46 Jeffrey Street’s most amazing feature is its rooftop terrace, which offers views over Sydney Harbour, the Bridge and the Opera House – if you lived there, you would never go out; entertaining would happen at home. The house is a nineteenth century Victorian terrace that makes up for its relative narrowness in immense height – it scales over five storeys.

The house has been extremely well-maintained, with the first-floor sitting room containing sizeable marble fireplaces and original light fittings. The kitchen, which is located below street level, has been completely refashioned in a pretty French provincial style. It leads onto a second living area and an exquisite little garden, which, while private, offers views up to Broughton Street – Kirribilli’s village thoroughfare. With the house’s location, history and insanely amazing views, it’s ripe to induce jealousy from any visitors who drop in.

A new House Hunter article has been published by Time Out - you can check it out here.

Warehouse conversions tick all the best boxes – they provide the historical, industrial edge Sydney urbanites crave, while also giving them the contemporary comforts they’re accustomed to. This inner-city, double storey apartment is a case in point – its edgy, bespoke fittings are attractively contrasted with high ceilings and the soaring original windows, which are now double glazed. The fact it straddles the border between the CBD and Surry Hills isn’t bad, either – walking distance to both work and post-work booze.

While it’ll most likely be snapped up by a young professional couple, the apartment could potentially suit a family with small children due to the three relatively spacious bedrooms, double story space and security parking. The apartment’s fittings are evidence of the owners’ fastidious interior design standards, with the inbuilt bookshelves and accompanying ladder in the first level bedroom being a particularly impressive touch. The concrete floors and exposed brick wall carry through the warehouse feel of the apartment, and keep it grounded in its history despite its contemporary flair.